North Lebanon police get new contract, pay hike

The township force has 11 officers headed by Chief Harold Easter

After negotiating with the police department since last August, the North Lebanon Township supervisors have agreed on a new three-year police contract.

Nearly four months into the new year, the township supervisors ratified the contract Monday for the 11 officers, headed by Chief Harold Easter. The township has a force of nearly a dozen officers because North Lebanon has the largest population of any municipality in the county, outside of the City of Lebanon, said township manager Cheri Grumbine. Close to 12,000 residents call the township home.

The starting level salary for a new officer is $59,200, and that will rise to nearly $63,000 by the end of 2016, said Chairman Ed Brensinger. The contract calls for a two percent increase during the first year of the contract, a three percent increase in 2015, and a 3.25 percent increase in 2016, Brensinger said.

Members of the police department do not have to pay for their health care costs in this contract. Instead, the associated health care plan that was part of the old contract was eliminated, Brensinger said. That "associated plan" cost the township $850 annually per officer for miscellaneous health care costs.

"We wanted them to contribute to their health care, but getting rid of the associated plan was good — and that's why they call it negotiation," Brensinger said.

Besides being an extra expense for the township, the associated plan was confusing and top-heavy with paperwork.

"It raised some difficult issues, especially with paperwork," said Supervisor Dick Miller. "We decided it would be a good thing to throw that out."

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Both sides were looking at a five-year contract, Brensinger said, but decided not to go that route because of the instability of the health care market.

"We have no idea where our health care costs are going," Brensinger said. "Health care is such an unknown right now."

Miller said the contract represents a "reasonable compromise," but said possibly by the time the next contract rolls around, the police department may need to pay some health care costs.

"Sooner or later, there's going to have to be a contribution," Miller said.